


The train stop

by Naquar



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Premonition, Travel, Twist of the scene, dream - Freeform, ghost - Freeform, saved - Freeform, travel by train
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naquar/pseuds/Naquar
Kudos: 2





	The train stop

The train stop

The girl was staring at him, sitting in the armchair with her hands folded in her lap, without saying a word. He looked no more than thirty years old, of small build; she wore a gray pullover and a pair of blue pants, her blond hair was cut short.  
She would have been a beautiful girl, had it not been for her pale face, her hazy, rimmed eyes, which made her look sickly.  
Carlo could not understand why the young woman was staring at him with a worried expression.  
"Stop ..." she murmured.  
Waking up with a start, his forehead beaded with sweat, it took Carlo a few seconds to realize that it had only been a bad dream, and therefore the girl had not really been real.  
"Everything good?" asked the man sitting across from him. He was between forty-five and fifty years old, thin and lanky, a face with dry features and two blue eyes hidden behind a pair of lenses.  
"Yes, yes ... all right" Carlo merely replied, shrugging his shoulders.  
The week before he had been commissioned to write an article on the inauguration of the new tourist route. The journey would last three days and there would be stops with the possibility of visiting some countries.  
Carlo had taken the train around eight in the morning.  
His cabin mate, a distinguished-looking gentleman, sat across from him reading a newspaper.  
Immediately after leaving, they had exchanged a few words, after which Carlo had fallen asleep.  
"Oh it's almost noon," observed his travel companion.  
"Already?" Carlo commented, looking up from the notebook on which he was writing a few lines for the article.  
"Time goes by fast, huh?"  
"Oh yeah"  
"We should hurry, then"  
Carlo went to the table he had reserved at the end of the dining car, where he could  
stay calm. While he ate lunch, he kept jotting down some notes.  
At about two in the afternoon, the train made its first stop.  
The reporter took a short tour of the village, took a couple of photos, stopped for a snack in a bar.  
"So, did you have a good ride?" his traveling companion welcomed him as soon as Carlo returned to the cabin.  
"Sure. And she?"  
"Yes, there was something interesting"  
"Well, then there are two of us," said Carlo with a smile.  
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet: Dr. Alessandro Pescatore" the man began with an ironic wave of his hand.  
"Carlo Cordero, journalist, I write for a local newspaper"  
"Interesting. And, if I may ask you, what is leading you on this trip? "  
“I am writing an article on the inauguration of the new section. And she?"  
"I took a vacation, you know how I needed a break," the doctor explained, with a shrug.  
"Sometimes there is nothing better than to switch off"  
"It's true. Do you work in the hospital? "  
"Yes, I'm a surgeon"  
"Then I'm lucky, if anything ever happens to me ..." Carlo joked.  
"I hope not"  
"Look, what do you say if we go for a coffee?"  
"Good idea"  
The two reached the bar room.  
Both tables were occupied by some travelers who were playing cards.  
"Hey gentlemen why don't you join a game?" a guy asked, with a big mustache, turning to Carlo and Alessandro.  
"Okay," the reporter said.  
"Then take a seat!"  
The doctor lost a couple of games, while Carlo fared better.  
"It's almost dinner time," the reporter observed, glancing at his watch.  
"Thank goodness, I was starting to feel hungry" agreed Alessandro, happy to leave.  
"Or maybe it's because our doctor is losing at full blast," said the big mustache gentleman in an ironic tone.  
"Very funny," Alessandro snorted back.  
"You have to know how to lose"  
"Maybe it's a matter of luck, after all," said another guy with a smile, meaning to scramble.  
The doctor shrugged. "Well I'm going to have dinner ..."  
"Enjoy your meal"  
"Thank you too"  
After that the doctor left.  
Not wanting to be disturbed, Carlo dined alone at his table. He took the opportunity to review his notes.  
Then around nine he decided to retire to his bunk.  
Since it seemed too early to go to sleep, he decided to go to bed and read a detective novel.  
But the book was so boring that it soon sent it to Morpheus' arms.  
"Wake up," said a voice suddenly.  
Carlo started and opened his eyes wide: he realized that he was not in his bed, but in the passenger carriage.   
And then he saw, to his surprise, again the girl he had seen in his dream, sitting across from him.  
This time, Carlo noticed that the young woman wore a silver pendant that represented a stylized crescent moon.  
"What am I doing here?" the reporter wondered somewhat bewildered.  
She did not listen to him, but turned sideways and pointed out the window with her finger: Carlo saw a suspension bridge, where the river flowed underneath.  
"Stop the train," the girl said.  
The reporter woke up in a sweat.  
Heart pounding furiously in his chest, he sat up.  
What the hell of a nightmare had he had? It really felt real, he thought.  
He went into the bathroom and washed his face.  
As soon as he was a little calmer he went back to bed, but spent the rest of the night in a restless sleep.

At eight o'clock, Carlo and the doctor met in the dining car for breakfast.  
"It doesn't look nice this morning," Alessandro observed, placing the cup of coffee on the table.  
"I didn't sleep a wink last night," replied the reporter, without alluding to the nightmare of the previous night.  
"Strange, it should be a relaxing trip," Alessandro said with a shrug.  
"Don't tell me," Carlo muttered, spreading jam on a slice of bread.  
"Today there will be a good program"  
"I heard it..."  
"We will make a couple of stops and it seems that we will have the opportunity to visit the antiques market, enough to spend the day"  
"Well, it means there will be fun"  
"Come on, some enthusiasm!" Alessandro exclaimed with a smile.  
Carlo finished breakfast.  
Around ten the train made its first stop: it was a small medieval village that offered the possibility of being able to admire some  
stone houses, its cobbled streets and a Romanesque-style church.  
The reporter stopped for a couple of hours to visit the place, took pictures and jotted down some notes on his notebook.  
He stopped to eat in a restaurant.  
Around half past one he returned to the station, when his thoughts brought him back to the dream he had had the night before that had troubled him and left him in a state of restlessness.  
Carlo remembered every detail since the last time, it had seemed all too real.  
Why was that girl telling him to stop the train? He wondered.  
"Hey there, what's doing us enchanted there?" said a voice behind him, interrupting the train of his thoughts.  
"Doctor" Carlo said by way of greeting.  
"In a while we will start again!"  
"I see you made purchases ..." observed the reporter looking at the bag Alessandro was holding in his hand.  
“Yes, something to bring to my wife and my son. Instead, you nothing? "  
"I didn't find anything that might interest me," Carlo replied, shrugging his shoulders.  
"There can always be something interesting at the flea market," the doctor suggested.  
"Yes, it may be"  
Then Carlo, before getting on, let an elderly couple pass. A few minutes later, the stationmaster gave the starting whistle.  
Lulled by the reassuring rocking of the carriage, Carlo fell asleep.  
He woke up an hour later, stretched his numb muscles and decided he would like a coffee to wake up.  
He went to the bar and had a strong one made.  
He felt better.  
Later in the afternoon, Carlo decided to visit the market held in the town's main square; on the stalls you could find all sorts of objects, from old books to used clothes. The reporter bought himself some cheap books, then also took a wooden train and a teddy bear for his nephews, sons of his brother.  
After glancing at the clock, he decided it was best to go back.  
Once on the train, he happily accepted another game of cards.  
The gentleman with the big mustache he had played with the night before asked him: "Where is your friend?"  
"Tonight I think he doesn't really want to play"  
"Well it's not a game of poker"  
"Obviously he doesn't like card games ..." another passenger intervened.  
"Such a pity"  
Carlo stayed to play until dinner. He won all the games.  
"Either he's doing well or he's lucky," the big mustache guy commented, putting the cards back in the box.  
"Both things" answered Carlo with a satisfied smile. Then he left the bar and headed for the dining car.  
Sitting at one of the tables, he saw Alessandro looking absently out of the window.  
"Good evening" greeted the reporter.  
"Good evening to you"  
"Are you dining alone too?"  
"Apparently," Carlo replied with a shrug.  
“Join me if you like. A little company never hurts anyone "  
Carlo sat down. "Well thank you"  
"Do not mention it"  
The waiter went to order.  
Carlo ordered lamb with potatoes and a dessert, Alessandro, on the other hand, had pork loin and green salad, chocolate pudding.  
"So, how are you doing with the article?"  
"I'm at a good point, it's still a little while to finish it"  
"When he finishes it I'll be curious to read it"  
"Thank you"  
"Well I hope he doesn't write that he met an unpleasant surgeon ..." Alessandro joked.  
Carlo smiled at the joke. "Maybe I'll wear it"  
"Tomorrow is the third and last day," the doctor said, changing the subject.  
"Yes, where are we going to go?"  
"Well ... towards the morning we will cross the bridge over the river, they say it's a good show" Alessandro explained.  
Suddenly Carlo turned pale as a sheet.  
"Hey are you all right?"  
“I… I… yes… I think so. Can you excuse me? " the reporter stammered.  
Alexander stared at the other who was going away with a puzzled air. "Okay," he murmured.  
Carlo went back to his bunk.  
He was trembling like a leaf.  
He went to the bathroom and washed his face.  
It took him at least a quarter of an hour to calm down.  
He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, unable to stop thinking about it.  
Was it that bridge the girl had pointed out to him? Could it all be real? Who could ever be that woman?  
Those questions kept buzzing in his head with no answer.  
Perhaps there had to be an explanation for all of this.  
And soon, tormented by those doubts, Carlo fell asleep.  
"Carlo ... wake up please ..." said a voice, a few hours later.  
The reporter woke up and found her standing in front of him. They were back in the passenger carriage.  
"Who are you?" Carlo asked.  
She shook her head, ignoring the question. "We have arrived, stop the train, please!" exclaimed the desperate girl, grabbing him by a  
flap of the jacket.  
Carlo felt a sudden cold sensation, as if he felt a gust of cold air on him.  
Then the dream ended abruptly.  
Panting, the reporter quickly got out of bed. He threw open the door and ran like a madman, hardly noticing that he had ended up on a conductor.  
Ignoring the protests of the other, Carlo rushed to the passenger carriage, which was almost completely full of people, ready to enjoy the show.  
At the top Carlo saw the emergency brake lever.  
He grabbed it and pulled it with all his might.  
The train came to a complete stop: the backlash made the passengers and carriages jump; some of the furnishings spilled on the floor.  
Carlo also lost his balance and fell to the ground, exhausted and with his heart in his throat.  
In the midst of the confusion, the driver and conductor arrived, somewhat shocked. "Who was it to pull the brake?" one of them asked.  
The reporter licked his dry lips. "I. I did it, ”he murmured softly, almost amazed by the gesture he had made.  
The driver made his way through the crowd and went to check where they had stopped.  
A few moments later, the man turned back. He was pale and shocked.  
"She? Was it her? " the confused driver asked him.  
"Why?" asked the conductor indignantly.  
“The bridge collapsed, if it weren't for her we would all be dead by now! But how did he know? " exclaimed the astonished engineer.  
"It was the girl of the dream ..." said Carlo.  
"How sorry?"  
"A girl appeared to me in a dream three times, begging me to stop the train" explained Carlo who in the meantime had sat down.  
There was a murmur of disbelief among the passengers.  
"Which girl?" asked the doctor who had joined him in the meantime. He sat down next to him.  
"A blonde girl ... with big blue eyes ... and she had a pendant in the shape of a stylized moon or something like that" explained Carlo, with a big sigh.  
"It ... it can't be ..." Alessandro mumbled, widening his eyes with an astonished expression.  
"Why?" the reporter had time to murmur.  
“Because the one who appeared to you in your dream was my daughter Laura: she died in a car accident last year. He saved us all .... "  
"God bless you, really, God bless you" said Carlo.


End file.
